SPECIES SPOTLIGHT Red deer
Standing tall and proud with its antlered head held high, the sheer majesty of our largest native animal silhouetted against the skyline is an impressive sight.
Born to roam Originally woodland animals, red deer have adapted to live on our fellsides, where they roam quietly, feeding on grasses, tree shoots, heather and lichens. For most of the year stags live separately in loose bachelor groups, whilst families comprising a dominant hind, her dependent offspring (a yearling born the previous summer and a calf), plus her mature daughters with their offspring form herds. In open habitat these can be quite large, but red deer tend to be less social in woodland and live in smaller groups. In September the stags split up and go in search of the hinds at traditional ruting sites in an atempt to gather a harem.
The distinctive, deep, resonant roar of rutting stags is critical for mating success.
Te rut Each autumn, areas of Cumbrian valleys and fells reverberate with the ruting stags’ deep, bellowing roars, as rivals compete for a chance to mate. Te stags are now at their prime, weighing up to 200kg, with hard, fully-grown antlers and a thick coat. Males oſten engage in slow, parallel walking while they assess each other’s strength. A weaker individual is likely to walk away, but if a pair appear evenly matched, the more each will display its strength by roaring and thrashing vegetation. If neither accepts defeat, a fight may ensue with a ferocious clashing of antlers as each strives to push away the other.
A duel between two stags can last for over an hour.
Te stakes are high, as intense fights resulting in serious injury occur, though combat to the death is rare. Despite being sexually mature at around two years of age, only stags over five years old are typically strong enough to successfully mate and keep a harem.
Antlers Only deer grow antlers, which differ from horns, and only male deer have them. Te red deer’s antlers are cast, one at a time, during March/April, and scabs form over the bony stubs (known as pedicles). Aſter a couple of weeks, new growth begins to show, and soon each antler branches, with a tine pointing towards the brow and a main beam pointing
When all the velvet is rubbed off, the
stag’s head until it is cast in spring.
antler dies, although it remains on the
backwards. Te angle of the forward- pointing tine is around 90 degrees. While the antlers are growing they are covered by velvet – a hairy skin containing blood vessels that nourish the growing bone. More
tines branch off the main
beam, and once the
growth is complete, the velvet is shed and rubbed off, leaving the antlers blood-stained for a few days. Te antlers are fully formed and clear of velvet by late August/September. Each year a red deer’s antlers grow larger and have more tines than the previous year, eventually growing up to a metre wide and weighing up to 15kg.
Predator loss Although red deer are at risk of hybridisation with sika deer, a close relative native to eastern Asia introduced to deer parks in the nineteenth century, its status is ‘least concern’ on the UK Red List of species conservation. Te absence of large carnivores means deer have no natural predators and populations can become dense, impacting on woodland regeneration. As a result, various strategies including robust deer fencing, plastic-free tree guards, the planting of unpalatable natural barriers such as at Eycot Hill Nature Reserve, and other measures, can be used to help maintain the balance of this enchanting species.
DID YOU KNOW? A red deer’s hoof print, known as a ‘slot’, typically measures 8–9cm in length.
Cumbrian Wildlife | November 2025
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© BERTIE GREGORY/2020VISION
© DARREN TANSLEY © SIMON KING/
NATUREPL.COM
© DANNY GREEN/2020VISION
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